LETTER: Long-time educator troubled by new bill

Ricky LathamTuscaloosa

Published: Sunday, March 24, 2013 at 3:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, March 22, 2013 at 3:28 p.m.

Dear Editor: The recent action of our state legislature in regard to the School Flexibility/Accountability plan has caused me great concern. As an educator with more than 33 years in the classroom, I find it very disturbing to see our leaders in Montgomery deliver this “cheap shot” to our schools.

I fail to see how this bill, which cuts funding from every single public school in Alabama no matter how well they are performing, is supposed to improve education.

I am also deeply concerned that state leaders ignored the people who work in our schools every day — and even their own education advisers — when they wrote this bill. If I have a medical problem I’m not going to ignore my doctor.

I encourage you to read the report from State Superintendent of Education, Dr. Tommy Bice, which you can find on the Alabama Department of Education’s website. He explains nine reasons why this bill will be a detriment to our schools and our children’s education.

Education has always been the springboard to greater economic opportunity — not just for the person receiving an education, but also for the public in general. I am very grateful for the educational opportunities I have received, and would like to see our children have those same opportunities.

We should be doing everything we can to make sure that all of our children and their schools are successful. But this plan does not improve our schools; it abandons them.

<p>Dear Editor: The recent action of our state legislature in regard to the School Flexibility/Accountability plan has caused me great concern. As an educator with more than 33 years in the classroom, I find it very disturbing to see our leaders in Montgomery deliver this “cheap shot” to our schools. </p><p>I fail to see how this bill, which cuts funding from every single public school in Alabama no matter how well they are performing, is supposed to improve education.</p><p>I am also deeply concerned that state leaders ignored the people who work in our schools every day — and even their own education advisers — when they wrote this bill. If I have a medical problem I'm not going to ignore my doctor.</p><p>I encourage you to read the report from State Superintendent of Education, Dr. Tommy Bice, which you can find on the Alabama Department of Education's website. He explains nine reasons why this bill will be a detriment to our schools and our children's education.</p><p>Education has always been the springboard to greater economic opportunity — not just for the person receiving an education, but also for the public in general. I am very grateful for the educational opportunities I have received, and would like to see our children have those same opportunities. </p><p>We should be doing everything we can to make sure that all of our children and their schools are successful. But this plan does not improve our schools; it abandons them.</p>